


The Champions

by Rosenblade



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Harry Potter Next Generation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2018-12-08 14:43:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11648730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosenblade/pseuds/Rosenblade
Summary: Another edition of the Triwizard Tournament is up! Beauxbatons, Hogwarts and Durmstrang reunite together at Hogwarts to fight for the first spot, with a lot of celebration and drama along the way. And soon enough, the rumour in Hogwarts is that Albus Potter can't take his eyes off the Beauxbatons Champion...





	1. Chapter 1

  **Chapter 1**

**The Arrival**

_**30 October 2023** _

I peered through the window, my nose glued to the glass as we made our descent towards the Hogwarts School of Magic and Wizardry. It was completely different from Beauxbatons… our school made much more of an impression with its white high columns, the walls adorned with golden leaf, the beautiful trimmed gardens with magical fountains, where we ate by the river at the sound of the voices of nymphs.

I really doubted we would find nymphs in _here_. Hogwarts was a dark castle on the top of a hill and as far from Versailles as one could go.

"So?" Chloe whispered. "Can you see anything?"

"They're at the entrance. McGonagall's in the front and all the students are behind her," I replied excitedly, before slumping into my seat again.

"Were they wearing black?" Chloe asked again.

"Yeah."

"How do you think they manage, wearing black every day?"

"What's the problem?" Lisa lifted a brow by my left side.

"I'm just saying, blue is much nicer," she said, raising the pale blue sleeves of the Beauxbatons wizard robes. "Black is just awful. It's like going to a funeral every day. Don't you think, Sofia?"

I frowned. "I dunno. I really don't care."

"Besides, what's wrong with funerals?"

I peeked through the window again and frowned. The image was becoming clearer and clearer as we approached them.

"They're so _few_. Do you think the whole school came to meet us? Because I'm telling you, they're really no more than three hundred."

"Three hundred?" Chloe repeated. "No, that can't be their real number."

"But they look like- _ow_! Geez, Chlo, no need to-"

But as soon as I turned back, I realized why Chloe had nudged me on the ribs. Madame Maxime was towering over me, staring me down with very cold eyes that, if possible, made her look even bigger. I froze and smiled sheepishly. She didn't return my smile.

" _Sofia!_ " She thundered. " _Asseyez-vous_!"

" _Oui_ , Madame Maxime," I squeaked, and fell back on my seat between Chloe and Lisa.

As soon as she turned her back on us, my friends broke into laughter.

"It's not funny," I mumbled, but they only laughed harder.

Madame Maxime then continued to supervise the rows of students on the chariot, shouting orders, rectifying someone's hair, posture or clothes. She was nervous because she wanted us to look gracious and cause a good impression as soon as we were out of the carriage. She wanted to show off. But honestly, we were already close to perfection. Everyone was dressed in pale blue, the colours of Beauxbatons, and we all looked polished and beautiful and elegant. Some girls had fished a pocket mirror from their robes and were reapplying their makeups or practicing seductive looks.

"They look like clowns," Chloe whispered in my ear.

I couldn't agree more. Chloe was far more beautiful than they were without even trying. But she had been blessed with natural wavy golden hair, porcelain white skin and eyes the colour of honey. Dressed in our school robes, she looked like an angel.

On my left, Lisa had her arms folded and looked bored. She was the prettiest girl in the school but she didn't really care about it, and on our days off she always wore baggy clothes when she wasn't obliged to wear the uniform. But no matter how she dressed, her face was gorgeous. Her skin had the beautiful tone of chocolate brown and her blue eyes were shaped like almonds and refreshing, the colour of a tropical sea, reminding me of summer. I'd never seen eyes like that before. Her hair was silky and hazel and fairly disheveled, because Lisa really wasn't the type to waste more than five minutes in the bathroom.

Madame Maxime's favourite, Renée, was sitting in the corner. She hadn't touched her makeup because she knew she didn't need it - Renée was a natural ice queen without even trying. She wasn't buzzing with enthusiasm because Hogwarts was honoured to receive her, not the other way around. Her legs were crossed and was staring through the window with a bored look that said that she didn't care if she was miles away from home, she didn't feel the slightest threatened by Hogwarts. They weren't even competition on her eyes.

Everyone was expecting her to win. Everyone knew that her name would be the one called for the Triwizard Tournament.

_Renée Chastain is our Champion._ That phrase was being sung everywhere since the moment we discovered there would be a new Triwizard Tournament edition. She had been pampered and turned into the school sweetheart in a matter of seconds, and I knew that underneath her frosty attitude, she was enjoying every second of fame.

But _maybe_ her name wouldn't be picked up. I looked at my hands in my lap and swallowed hard. Staring at Renée, so beautiful with her silky blond hair and perfect posture, made me feel self conscious about my image. I took off the scrunchie that was holding my ponytail together and let my red hair run loose over my shoulders.

And before I could do anything else, there was a loud crash and I had to grab Chloe to keep myself from falling. And then we heard the loud _clop-clop-clops_ of the winged horse's hooves against the ground, until we came into a full stop.

Inside, everyone was in mortified silence. We were all thinking the same thing - someone should work on their landing!

But all our nerves were dissipated when the door opened. Jean-Paul hopped down and set a golden stairwell at the door of the carriage. Madame Maxime blocked the whole view with her enormous stature and the carriage shook when it was relieved of her weight.

We heard the Hogwarts students clap as she made her way down the stairs, and we all peeked to get a glimpse. McGonagall was smiling and walked to her. Their voices were barely audible.

"Madame Maxime," she said. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"McGonagale," Maxime replied. "'Ow 'arr you?"

"Very well, thank you."

"My pupils," she said, and she waved a hand towards us.

It was the signal. I exchanged an excited look with Chloe as we all rose orderly from our seats. I stood up, passed my hands through imaginary wrinkles in my uniform and followed the line of students who were leaving the carriage.

This was it - Hogwarts at last! I was so excited that-

Suddenly someone bumped into me. I stumbled backwards but Lisa caught me.

"Sofia, you really should be careful." Renée was in front of me, casting me a poisonous smile. Her dark eyes were flashing with amusement.

I narrowed my eyes at her. If Madame Maxime and the whole Hogwarts school weren't watching, I'd make her trip. But I ignored it and let her take the place in front of me.

"Relax," Lisa whispered, sensing my anger.

But the enthusiasm was far greater than the anger. Renée hopped down the carriage into the lawn and suddenly it was my turn to follow her and I had a clear view of the castle as we approached it.

The students formed a mass at the entrance of the dark, colossal castle and it looked like they were organized by age: first years at the front until the seventh years at the back. The last row was formed by teachers. I also stole a curious glance at McGonagall. She was old but very tall and thin, wearing a pointy hat and dark green robes, almost black. Her eyes were polite and her posture was strict.

Chloe was right when she advised us to bring a cloak. Everyone who had just brought their uniform was freezing right now, shaking and burying their noses into mufflers, because our thin silk uniforms offered no protection against the chilly wind. Some Hogwarts students were eyeing us with deep amusement or rolled their eyes like we were idiots. And we kind of were. They had their cloaks on and we were shivering with chattering teeth and miserable expressions.

So much for the grand entrance, Madame Maxime.

"Would you prefer to stay here and wait for Durmstrang, or would you like to go inside and warm up?" McGonagall asked.

"Warm up," Maxime replied coldly. We could feel the irritation in her voice. We, the beautiful and fierce student of Beauxbatons, were shivering sadly like plucked chicken. The crowd of Hogwarts students parted and we walked through them.

I glanced at the sky, filled with thick and grey clouds.

No doubt, I was a long way from home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 

We settled in the left middle table of the Great Hall. Lisa and Chloe sat side by side and I sat across them. After a while, the black mass of Hogwarts students swarmed inside and we realized that our table belonged to the Ravenclaws.

At the end of the table, I could hear Renée's voice making fun of the decoration and most of our colleagues agreeing that they already missed Beauxbatons. I rolled my eyes. Maybe they shouldn't have come, if they missed it so much.

The Great Hall had been decorated with thick banners hanging from the walls, each representing a house. Red with a golden lion for Gryffindor, blue with a bronze eagle for Ravenclaw, green with a silver snake for Slytherin, and yellow with a black badger for-

"Huffepussy."

"What? There's no such thing as a _Hufflepussy_!"

Lisa looked outraged. "Sure there is! And you'd be one if you studied here. It's real, right, Chloe?"

Chloe looked at me and hesitated. And then she winced like a _certain someone_ had just kicked her under the table.

"Of course it exists!" She stretched her lips upward in a very poor attempt of a smile that only made her look like she was severely dehydrated and physically hurting. Chloe was far too sweet and innocent to lie. I could see the sweat on her forehead and the flash of panic in her innocent honey coloured eyes. And of course, Lisa was on the verge of laughing. "But you wouldn't be a Hufflepus- I mean, er, you'd be a Gryffindor! Because you're brave and fiery."

I raised my eyebrows. "I'm _brave_ and _fiery_? Don't make me laugh."

"And noble," Chloe added sweetly.

"Geez, just get a room already," Lisa snapped.

I ignored her but Chloe blushed furiously. She was already seventeen but she still couldn't handle most of Lisa's jokes.

"I think you'd be a Ravenclaw, Chlo. Shy and always hiding behind a book."

Her smiled reappeared. "Thanks."

"Don't _thank_ her! They're like, the second worst house!" A Ravenclaw girl within earshot threw Lisa a dirty look. Lisa stared back defiantly until the girl blushed and finally looked away. "You guys are boring. I, on the other hand, would be a-"

"Slytherin!" Chloe and I yelled at the same time, and then we all laughed.

"Exactly. Which means that we'd all be in different houses and probably wouldn't have been friends in here. I wouldn't trade this for Beauxbatons."

Still, I had to give some credit to Hogwarts. Looking around, I didn't spot a single student who was left apart. Everyone was talking, integrated in a friendly group. The decoration didn't really have the class or luxury of Beauxbatons, but it was cozy in its own ways. I couldn't bring myself to stop stealing glances at the ceiling from time to time. It was wondrous, forming a night sky that reflected some clouds and was flecked with golden stars.

Our conversation came to an end when the huge doors opened and the teacher staff came inside. We leapt to our feet when Madame Maxime entered but when I looked around, I saw that no one from Hogwarts and Durmstrang had stood up in the presence of their headmasters. Some of them were actually eyeing us like we were mad. One of the Ravenclaws snorted.

The teachers made their way to the horizontal table at the end of the Great Hall, which lay right in front of the four vertical ones. Madame Maxime sat on the left of McGonagall while the Durmstrang Headmaster, a man whose name was Ivanov and who fairly reminded me of a pirate with his dark beard, rough face and the limp, sat down by McGonagall's right.

As soon as we sat down, I noticed that Chloe was appalled.

"Really, why were we the only ones to get up? Where is their sense of education?" She asked disapprovingly under her breath.

"Please, we're the ones at fault. Didn't you feel the tiniest bit of shame?" Lisa hissed back.

"Why would I? I felt _pride_ , not embarrassed."

"Oh don't worry, I was embarrassed enough for both of us!"

Chloe looked at me for support but I only shrugged. Hey, I also had my drop of dignity and no matter how I looked at it, it _had_ been an awkward moment to be standing up while the other looked at us with amusement. Chloe was mortified by my reaction but before she could say anything else, McGonagall began speaking.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen and, most particularly, guests. I have great pleasure in welcoming both Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students to our school. I hope your stay will be pleasant."

A student whistled and clapped by the Gryffindor table when McGonagall said 'Beauxbatons' but, whoever it was, he was instantly silenced by McGonagall's cold look. I exchanged a look with Lisa and when I saw that she was on the verge of laughing, I just looked away with urgency before I cracked up in that silent room.

"The Triwizard Tournament will officially begin at the end of the feast and you will have the opportunity to insert your name in the Goblet," McGonagall continued. "In the meanwhile, though, let us begin the banquet."

As soon as she stopped speaking, the plates on the tables were suddenly filled with food and a delicious smell swam through the air. There was an incredible variety of delicious dishes and I just couldn't bring myself to decide which one I wanted the best.

Lisa had no trouble in that department. One second later and she was already digging in the _Boulabaisse_. Chloe was scandalized.

"Why are you trying our typical food? You should take this as a chance for-"

"So five minutes ago you were all for keeping traditions with the standing up and stuff, but now-?"

"It was a matter of _politeness_ ," Chloe snapped. "And I see nothing wrong with our French traditions."

"And might I remind you that I'm Dutch?" Lisa asked with a wink and a triumphant smile.

Chloe had turned positively red and she looked at me for support.

I threw my hands in the air. "I'm not getting involved, I just wanna eat."

Chloe rolled her eyes at me, clearly disappointed with my answer, but she always let me off the hook far more easily than Lisa. Five minutes later, she was already back to normal.

The food was delicious. I ate and ate, until I was full - the dishes kept refilling themselves so I could repeat whenever I wanted to. And now that we were actually inside the castle, instead of being at home imagining it, the prospect of living there for the rest of the year felt much more real. We really felt like this was the beginning of an adventure

But half an hour into the adventure and I felt a sudden urge to go to the bathroom.

"Just ask one of the Ravenclaw dorks and they'll give you directions."

Again, thanks for being so subtle, Lisa. The Ravenclaws sitting next to us shot me glares like they were daring me to address them. I gulped and went to the far end of the table. A Slytherin gave me directions and I followed them as smartly as I could. They weren't exactly difficult. He told me that it was just above the Hall. I went to the first floor and found it immediately.

I stepped inside and was heading to one of the stalls when suddenly I froze.

There was a _boy_ on the floor, sitting with the side of his head against a closed stall with his back turned to me.

I frowned. Was he… trying to _hear_ something inside the stall?

Just my luck, finding a creep on the first hour at this new school. I frowned and tried to think of something to do when realized that I had two options - either go back, or ignore him and just take care of my business.

But I really couldn't go back. I didn't trust myself to go back to the Hall and ask directions for _another_ bathroom, and then find it. But I really didn't want to do anything there while the boy was creepily hunched over another girl's stall.

I needed to do something to get his attention. Maybe he would stop when he realized he had been discovered.

"Is this the girls' bathroom?" I tried lamely.

I had expected him to spring to his feet and look at me with embarrassment or shock or anything… but he didn't move.

Right now, I was at a complete loss.

"Er… do you make a habit of standing there while girls take care of their business?" I chuckled but the sound of my laugh only echoed in the marble walls.

Again, no reply.

So my suspicion started growing into worry.

Because he _wasn't moving_. He really hadn't moved a single inch since I arrived five minutes ago.

And right now I was beginning to think that there might be a dead boy in the bathroom.

For precaution, I took my wand off my cloak and walked toward him so that I could see his face. His head was slightly bent low, but I clearly saw his starting green eyes as they moved up and locked with mine.

I gasped and a flood of relief overcame me. Not dead.

Good. Those vibrant eyes were screaming with life. But then why wasn't he moving?

"You're not… _paralysed_ , are you?"

The expression in his eyes changed to skepticism. He was telling me clearly that _Yes, I am paralysed_. And probably also that I had just make him undergo some humiliating minutes by just standing there talking.

"Right. I'll help you out." I pointed my wand to him, muttered the counterspell for _Petrificus Totallus_ and he instantly let out a relieved sigh.

I watched him as he groaned, stood up and patted his cloak. He was taller than me, fairly slim with white skin and light freckles on his charismatic nose. When he looked at me, I was afraid he might start yelling but then he gave me an awkward smile. His dark hair fell to a pair of striking green eyes.

"Sorry about that." He was positively blushing. I'm sure that I was, too. "Thanks for rescuing me."

"Don't worry." I laughed awkwardly. "I don't suppose people do this to you very often?"

"Yeah, not really." He rubbed his neck and winced.

"I don't suppose that there's a normal explanation either."

The boy gave me a wry smile.

"My cousin was afraid I might put my name on the Goblet so she paralysed me to make me miss dinner and prevent me to put my name on the goblet." I didn't say anything so maybe he felt obliged to keep talking. "I know I can sign up for a few more days, but she thought this time would make me reflect on the decision."

I blinked. What was he, insane? He didn't look insane. But again, they never do.

"Your cousin sounds like a lovely person," I told him after a very awkward pause. This seemed to make him chuckle. "But that doesn't really explain why you're _here_. You know. In the girls' bathroom."

He turned red.

"She thought it would be the safest spot to leave me because no one ever comes into this bathroom. You know, because it's haunted by a ghost, Moaning Myrtle."

I frowned. I really wasn't following anymore.

"So there's a ghost living here."

"Yes."

"Right now."

"Probably."

A chill ran down my spine. I looked around with a mix of suspicion and disgust but I didn't find anything. So _that_ was why the Slytherin boy had a smile on his face while he gave me directions. He wanted me to meet this ghost.

What an idiot. Maybe it was true that Slytherins were all idiots.

"And where is this ghost?"

"I dunno. Tomorrow's the Halloween party, maybe she's too busy preparing for it? Who knows?" He bit his lip and continued, "Anyway, does this answer your question as to why I'm here?"

"Yeah. And did it work?"

"What?"

"Her plan to make you stay out of the competition?"

He smiled.

"Not a chance. If anything, I'm even more determined than before. Oh-" His eyes sprung open. "Right. You're from Beauxbatons. So you'll be running too."

"Yes."

"So we could be rivals."

I didn't tell him that Renée would be the champion. I only nodded.

"Let's hope not."

"Why?" He seemed genuinely confused.

"I'd probably kick your ass," I said with mock thoughtfulness.

He chuckled.

"We'd see about that."

I didn't know what to make of him. He was handsome, fairly tall, and his green eyes were bright with resolution. Everything in his stance screamed that he was confident with his stance in the competition and that he could do it.

On the other hand, I _had_ found him paralysed in the girls' bathroom.

I didn't judge his cousin for thinking he'd might end up dead.

I realized then that we had run out of things to say. He tilted his head and said awkwardly, "So how are you enjoying Hogwarts?"

"It's nice." He nodded. I smiled but I really didn't want this to turn into a pathetic casual conversation. Also, I wasn't sure if I could stand there talking much longer. "Well, then, not that I'm not enjoying talking to you, but unless you're planning to stay here all day, this _is_ a girls' bathroom..."

He turned red. "Oh. Yeah. Right. Sorry!"

He gave me a last nervous smile and disappeared.

I stood there for a small moment and then shook my head and chuckled.

Hogwarts students. What a bunch of weirdos.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 

_**31 October 2023** _

The first lesson of the day was Potions, and apparently Lisa and I were the only ones who had signed up for it.

We soon understood why.

"What the hell is _this_?"

I narrowed my eyes.

"I'm pretty certain it's a dungeon."

"They have classes in _dungeons_?" We weren't really sure whether to laugh or to cry. Really, though. Freezing _dungeons._ Our classrooms back at Beauxbatons that looked like palace rooms had been replaced for this freezer. We could actually see our own breaths as we spoke.

And clearly, our gracious teachers had also been left behind. The Potions Master was tall, with pale greenish skin, and dark greasy hair falling in a ponytail. He wore black so he basically looked like a corpse. His teeth were crooked and yellow and he had dark marks under his very tired yellowish eyes. And every time he brushed by us as he walked between the rows of tables, there was a predominant smell of a dead animal.

I leaned to Lisa.

"Could be worse." I shrugged. "At least the teacher is hot."

I smiled at my joke but she only gave me a stony expression in reply.

The Professor was talking about our assignment. Apparently, the Hogwarts students had been working on a Polyjuice potion and had already completed the first part of the recipe. Today we would begin part two.

"Foreign students, you must form groups with Hogwarts students," he said as he looked around. Most of the Hogwarts students were embarrassed and didn't meet his eyes, like they were afraid to team up with us.

Geez, we didn't bite.

"Mr Malfoy, would you care to stay with Miss Serra?" A boy with platinum blond hair sitting alone on the first row looked over his shoulder at me and nodded with a blush. "And Miss Bones, you will team up with Miss Meijer."

A timid girl with braces standing on the final row smiled at Lisa. Lisa smiled back but said in a barely audible whisper, "Hufflepussy."

I slammed my elbow into her rib and she groaned, but fortunately no one heard her because a girl in the front row had raised her hand.

"Professor, I couldn't help but notice that we're an odd number. May I work on my own?"

"Certainly, Miss Granger-Weasley."

Lisa leaned to me and whispered, "Must be popular, that one." I gave a small giggle in return and shook my head.

Soon after, I crossed the room and joined Malfoy at his table. The boy was fairly tall with silvery blond hair. He had his Potions book opened, the necessary ingredients already on the table, and the cauldron ready. I peeked inside and noticed that the potion already had the exact expected tone - a pale blue-white colour.

"So… shall we?" I offered him a friendly smile.

"Let's begin," he mumbled sheepishly.

Malfoy was very professional and talked quietly and only when strictly necessary. We added the Bloomslang skin to the cauldron - it was fairly viscous and disgusting, but he didn't seem to be bothered with it and I didn't want to pass by the Beauxbatons stereotypical girl who couldn't stand to get some dirt on her hands. Then he added a bison horn to the mortar while I crushed a second horn, until it was a fine powder and added it to the cauldron. We followed the book and worked quietly, and there was something about him that struck me as formal. No, not formal - maybe only distant. Probably he was only shy. I guessed Hogwarts boys weren't really used to talking with girls. Still, whenever we happened to lock eyes, he would give me a small smile.

He gently tapped the cauldron until it was heated at a high temperature. The liquid inside changed colour gradually to a more dense blue and, after twenty seconds, it was boiling.

We checked for the next step on the book: _Let the potion brew for 24 hours_. I looked around and saw that we were the first people to finish it. It also meant that the silence between us got uncomfortable and I decided to do something about it.

"You're pretty good at this."

"Thanks." He smiled. "You too."

He was being kind, of course. The only thing I had done was add a piece of skin, crush a horn and add it to the cauldron. After a few more seconds of awkward silence, I decided to change the subject.

"So, did you put your name in the Goblet?"

He tilted his head. "Not really. I'm not really the type to compete in something like that." I noticed the cold tone he had used and my face must have showed my discomfort because he quickly amended to, "I mean, er- not that I don't support the competition, of course! I think you're all very brave."

"Thanks," I said wryly.

He gave me an apologetic smile.

"I really mean it. I don't know how you have the guts to sign up for this. My best friend is competing. And so is-" He glanced at the table behind me but his voice drifted. I looked over my shoulder and found the girl who had asked to work on her own.

Granger-Weasley, was it? She was pretty. She was a redhead just like me, but her bushy hair fell to a bright orange tone instead of my fiery red, and her eyes were blue, gleaming as she leaned into the cauldron to check the colour of her potion and took furious notes. The girl was on the zone, clearly, so absorbed in what she was doing that she didn't even notice me staring.

My first impression was that she was only a geek trying to pass off a look of confidence that she didn't have. But maybe I was wrong, though. I turned back at the boy.

"Who is she?"

As suspected, he turned bright like a tomato.

"Rose Granger-Weasley. She's the best student in our class."

"And you're betting on her?"

I know, I know. This question was completely unnecessary. But his reaction was priceless. I took him by surprise, so he turned red and opened his mouth and gurgled something before he took hold of himself. He really was an open book when it came to his feelings for her.

"She put her name in the Goblet yesterday." His voice sounded nervous. "And so did my best friend."

"Oh." Now I felt bad for teasing him. His clear grey eyes seemed genuinely worried. "If this is any comfort, we only sign up if we _want_ to. If they're brave enough to want this, they've probably got what it takes."

The boy gave me a wry smile.

"Do they? Sometimes I think they only did it for the glory."

I remembered Lisa's scorn. _Must be popular, that one_. Maybe that girl didn't have many friends and she thought this would make her achieve them. I wondered about the boy I'd met last night. I asked myself if what Malfoy was saying was true, but one must really be in a dark place to throw their lives on the line just to be more popular or accepted.

"Oh..." Malfoy leaned to me with pleading eyes anda small blush. "Don't tell her I said this… okay?"

I smiled and winked.

"It's our secret."

He smiled with some embarrassment and straightened up. I looked back at the girl and caught her frozen in her spot, staring at us. For a split of a second, I saw pure anger in her narrowed eyes as she stared me down until I looked away.

I couldn't help but smile a little.

"What?" Malfoy asked me, a puzzled smile on his face.

"Nothing," I told him. And then I wondered if he knew that his feelings weren't as one-sided as he thought.

* * *

Renée was outraged that there was no such thing as a Halloween ball. In Beauxbatons, we could use any pretext to throw fancy parties and wear new elegant evening dresses, but Hogwarts students clearly weren't interested in that sort of formality.

I really didn't care about the ball, though - every one of my thoughts was pinned to the Goblet of Fire. At dinner, my appetite was gone and not even the chocolate fountain could tempt me. I kept glancing nervously at the Goblet of Fire, whose presence I just couldn't ignore, sitting in front of McGonagall's chair. It was a large wooden cup with dancing blue-white flames which poured to the ground and evaporated.

One look at Chloe and Lisa and I realized that they were as terrified as I was. I knew that Lisa was strong and she'd accept the challenge without thinking twice. But Chloe was a lot more sweet. She probably had only put her name because we had too and she didn't want to be left behind. Was she having second thoughts? More importantly, would she be okay if she was picked?

Up until now, we hadn't really thought that one of _us_ could end up being selected. I mean, we knew that it was a possibility, of course, but just because there was a possibility of Hogwarts being invaded by trolls at this precise moment, that didn't mean it would happen. Everyone - and I mean, _everyone_ \- was pretty much certain that Renée would be picked. When we said goodbye to Beauxbatons, some people had made signs with her face on them and glitter saying, _Renée is Our Champion!_ along with matching pins, t-shirts and hats, and don't get me started about the songs. The selection wasn't random, our abilities weighted a lot. And she was a much better witch than we were.

It was certain yesterday that she'd be the champion. It had been certain in the morning and the afternoon. But now? I really wasn't so sure. All that confidence had dissolved into this heart wretching moment. Minutes away from the announcement, my heart was pounding hard. And the question was there.

What if… _my name_ was called?

"It's gonna be Rennée," Chloe said, but her voice was shaking. She looked ghostly pale.

Judging by the other students, everyone was anxious as well. A lot of people kept peeking at the goblet, and there wasn't much talk, only the sound of hundreds of forks and knifes sliding on their plates. Everyone finished dinner much sooner than usual and nearly no one touched dessert, but the teachers were taking their time. It seemed hours until everyone was done eating.

And then the golden plates were wiped clean.

McGonagall rose to her feet and a mortal silence fell immediately in the room. Madame Maxime had her lips pursed and eyes fixed on Renée, fidgeting nervously on the table.

"The Goblet is finally ready to make its decision," McGonagall said. "I would ask the champions who will be called to please, enter the door behind this table. It leads to a chamber where you will receive your first instructions."

I looked at the door in the far end but barely acknowledged it, because suddenly McGonagall tapped the goblet with her wand and all candles were extinguished, pushing the whole great room into a state of semi darkness. The goblet caused an explosion of blue-white in the midst of the deep black. The flames were so bright that my eyes hurt as I stared.

And then the bright blue flames turned into a violent red. A tongue of flames lashed from the goblet and a piece of parchment went flying through the air. McGonagall picked up the letter and read it.

My insides melted.

"The champion for Durmstrang is Boris Sokolov!"

Some people applauded or whistled. The champion, a tall broad boy, passed through the front of the Hall and made his way to the door.

I barely saw him. My mouth was dry. I was biting my nails and I was about to crack with the pressure.

And then the blue flames turned red again. The oxygen left my lungs. Another piece of parchment was shot through the air.

"The Champion for Hogwarts is…" McGonagall read the piece of parchment and frowned slightly. Was it just me or had she hesitated? "Albus Potter."

For some reason, no one cheered. There were a few hesitant claps and then the sound of footsteps. I saw for a moment a boy walk in front of my table with a tense look on his face - the boy from yesterday. The one in the bathroom. I looked at his back while he made his way to the door, the cloak dragging on the floor behind him.

When I looked back at the Goblet, it was still blue. I couldn't breathe, my lungs were screaming.

Did I want this? Would it be Rennée?

I barely felt Chloe's hand on mine because at that exact moment, the flames turned red. McGonagall caught the piece of parchment and read it.

For a second, there was only silence. Time stopped.

"The Beauxbatons champion," she said, and her words weighed like stones, " is Sofia Serra."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 

I jumped when something cold splashed my face. 

“What the-?”

When I opened my eyes, Renée was panting furiously and glaring at me, her pretty little gracious posture all gone as she held the empty cup of freezing water. For someone who looked like a swan most of the time - an evil swan - right now, she was in murdering sabretooth mode.

She was glaring at me like I had stolen something away from her.

And again, maybe I had.

There was no clapping. The Great Hall had sunk into a tense silence.

Chloe took out her wand with shaky hands and murmured a spell that evaporated the water from my face. She had turned slightly green, her honey eyes were double their size. I could tell she never expected me to be chosen.

And worse - that she clearly didn’t think I was up to the challenge.

But then Lisa wrapped me into a tight hug and beamed widely like Christmas was early.

“You did it!” She was grinning from ear to ear.

“Miss Sofia Serra,” McGonagall called again, frowning in confusion.

“ _ Go _ !” Lisa cried with excitement as she shoved me mercilessly to the path between the two tables.

I swallowed hard. Lisa started clapping energetically and was followed by others on the opposite corner of the room, until the Great Hall was erupting in applause. I know Beauxbatons girls are supposed to look graceful and beautiful at all occasions, but I just stumbled my way through the stairs that led to the High Table where the teachers were sitting, avoiding Madame Maxime’s eyes at all costs.

The door to the chamber creaked when I opened it and I stepped inside a cozy small chamber with a warm fire in the corner. Boris was sitting in a chair at the back of the room, as further away from the fire as he managed. His face was dark and his eyes were nailed to the floor, but there was a slight tremor to his clenched hands. The other boy was standing with his arms folded and scraping nervously on the wooden floor with his foot, digging his front teeth in his lip so hard that he had formed a small trickle of blood.

His eyes flashed when our eyes met and he straightened up a bit like he wanted to say something. I smiled a little - or forced the corners of my lips to rise - but before we could speak, the door opened.

McGonagall burst in, followed by Madame Maxime, Ivanov and a woman with bushy brown hair in neat robes, who looked extremely pale and disconcerted. Madame Maxime approached me angrily.

“ _ C’est impossible _ ,” she said fervently, crossing the whole space between us with only two steps, her head narrowly missing the chandelier. “ _ Mais pourquoi est-ce que-? _ ”

Clearly, this trip wasn’t going like she had planned. She wanted Renée to be the champion; she had been so certain. The look she shot me was clear:  _ What am I supposed to do with you? _

“What is the problem, Madame Maxime?” McGonagall asked respectfully.

“There must ‘ave been a mistake!” Her temper was rising.

“Unfortunately, Madame Maxime, the decision of the Goblet is final,” spoke the pale woman.

“Yes,” Madame Maxime scoffed, “because it worked so well when your friend ‘Arry Potter competed, when he was nominated.”

There was a clear reaction to this sentence. The colour drained from both McGonagall and the woman’s face and they exchanged a very brief, anxious glance. I didn’t understand why, but suddenly the boy seemed very resolved not to look at them.

“Harry Potter had to compete in that Tournament, because once the names are inserted into the Goblet, the wizard and the goblet form a magical contract. It would be very unwise to break it,” the woman said, looking at the boy like there was some hidden meaning, missing Maxime as shook her head darkly behind her. “Trust me, no one wishes more than  _ me _ that we could pick new candidates,” she added in a hard voice. 

“Aunt Hermione -”  _ Hermione _ ? Where have I heard that name before? “-Rose also put her name inside. And Aunt Fleur actually competed and she’s alive! And my  _ father _ , he was only fourteen when he-”

“Your father competed because he  _ had to _ , Albus. He didn’t put his name inside for the glory.”

Albus’s eyes grew. “You think I’m doing this for the  _ glory _ ?”

“Well, you did promise us that you wouldn’t sign up.” Albus opened his mouth to say something but he was interrupted.

“Now, Minister Granger-Weasley, perhaps you would like to say a few words,” McGonagall said. 

The name rang immediately in my head.  _ Of course! _ She looked familiar because she was England’s Minister of Magic and she sometimes appeared on the newspapers back in France. The Minister was standing so close to the fire now that her face was fully illuminated in orange. She looked very tired, with dark bags under her brown eyes, the dark emerald robes sprinkling slightly.

The woman nodded but kept her piercing stare on Albus. “We’ll talk in the end.”

Albus folded his arms and slid down slightly, like suddenly an invisible weight had forced itself on his shoulders. 

“As you know, the Triwizard Tournament is comprised of three different tasks that will test you. The first task will test your bravery.” Her eyes moved unconsciously to Albus, and they were filled with deep worry. “It will take place on the twenty fourth of November, in front of the audience of students and a panel of judges composed by me and your headmasters. You cannot in any circumstance ask for, or receive, a teacher’s help. You will only be armed with your wand in order to complete the first task. Any information regarding the second task will be revealed after the first. Is this clear?”

We all nodded, but her eyes were focused on Albus. “Are there any questions?”

“Aren’t you going to tell us any more clues?” I blurted out. “I mean - knowing that it is a test of bravery isn’t exactly helpful. How will I train?”

“A Beauxbatons student can face bravely the unknown,” Maxime said coldly. “And don’t worry about the training, Mademoiselle Serra, I know exactly what to do with you.”

_ Uh-oh. _

Why didn’t I like the sound of that?

The silence stretched until Albus raised a shaking hand.

“Yes?”

He shifted uncomfortably.

“Can we - er - surrender if we feel that we’re not up to the task?”

A snort came from the Durmstrang boy and I saw him exchange a purely amused glance with Ivanov. I gritted my teeth - it took either a ridiculous amount of courage, or stupidity, to ask that question in front of us. To be fair, Albus actually looked even more shocked that he had been chosen than I did.

“Yes,” Mrs Granger-Weasley said, blushing slightly and shooting him a pointed look. “All you need to do is to send out sparks to the sky and I will be there immediately to help you. Of course, you’ll be disqualified in that trial. Anything else?”

No one spoke.

“If there aren’t any more questions, you’re free to go,” the Minister said. “Good luck, Champions.”

Madame Maxime opened the door briskly and I followed her with a last glance at Albus. He didn’t even notice; honestly, he looked even whiter and his eyes were fixed in his aunt - I’m pretty sure I’d be nervous too if I was on the end of that glare.

When I stepped outside, the Great Hall was dimly lit by almost extinguished floating candles, but I could see some silhouettes moving in the dark.

“Madame Maxime!” Renée cried. “ _ C’est vrai? Sofia est la championne?” _

“ _ Malheureusement. _ ” Maxime let out an indignant scoff.

“But, Madame Maxime!” Renée snapped. “It should be  _ me _ !”

“Well, it’s not you, is it?” Madame Maxime asked sharply. “Which means that you’re happy to go back to Beauxbatons.”

Renée blinked and opened her mouth in shock - I’m pretty sure Maxime had never spoken to her like that in her life.

“ _ Alors,  _ Sofia,” Madame Maxime said as she turned to me. “We start tomorrow.”

I nodded. Something about those beetle dark eyes made me uncomfortable, but I knew better than to say anything.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_**1 November 2023** _

_Sofia,_

_In the last Tournament, the first task was to fight a dragon. I hope they make you fight something really nasty so I can have your room._

_Love,_

_David_

* * *

"That git always writes the stupidest letters," I said as I burned my younger brother's letter in one of the candles in the table at breakfast. "Though there's some truth about that part."

"He wants your room?" Chloe asked.

"He wants me dead," I corrected.

"I like the little guy," Lisa said, pulling a second helping of french toast and eating it like she had been starved for a month. "If only he was older-"

"D'you want him?" I asked. "Fifty galleons and he's yours."

"D'you think I have that sort of money?" Lisa snapped.

"No, I meant, I pay _you_."

Chloe had an attack of giggles. The corner of the _Daily Prophet_ shook in her hands and caught fire, before she drew her wand out and extinguished it. I was about to make a joke when something strange happened - there was a slight tension in the atmosphere; the conversations around the Great Hall broke instantly or turned into hurried whispers.

Lisa looked up and grinned with evil.

"Look who it is."

When I looked at the entrance, I saw that Albus Potter had just arrived with the blond boy who had been my partner in Potions. He was red as a tomato, his eyes nailed to the floor as he join the Slytherin table and sat with his back to the rest of the Hall.

"Ten galleons in how he doesn't even make it in the first thirty seconds," Lisa said with a laugh.

I didn't join her. I stared for a bit longer and when it was clear he wasn't going to see me, I turned around and nibbled on my toast.

"Make it _ten_ seconds."

I looked up at the owner of that irritating voice. Renée had arrived, alright, flanked with the usual gang of girls who looked every bit as vain and arrogant as she did.

Lisa smirked at me and said in a loud whisper, "Just when my day couldn't get sunnier." At the same time, Renée said as she pierced me coldly with her grey eyes, "And make it _five_ seconds for this one."

The girls behind her laughed.

"Leave her alone!" Chloe blurted out, but she seemed a lot more frightened than actually angry.

Renée smiled. "Pathetic how she needs her friends to defend her."

I swapped a look with Lisa, who looked very ready to lunge at her. _Don't_ , I said with my eyes. She glared at me but stayed put on her chair.

I only sighed. I didn't want trouble - in a couple of minutes I would begin my training for the Tournament and I didn't have the energy for a fight right now.

"What have I ever done to you, Renée?"

"You mean, apart from breathing?"

The girls laughed again at the crappy joke - really though, I could do so much better that I bet they just laughed out of pity.

Lisa had laughed amongst the other girls. "Oh, that's so funny!" She said in a sarcastic voice. "You know what's even funnier? Tell us about how your family reacted when they found out that you're not going to compete?"

Everyone's smiles fell at once. Renée glared at her in fury.

"Oh, come on, don't spare us the details," Lisa said sweetly as she patted her arm. Renée glared at her and whisked her arm away furiously. Lisa smiled. "Unless - no _way_ , you haven't told them yet? Maybe you're too ashamed to tell them?"

This question caused an obvious reaction. Renée's pale face flushed red and she looked like she was trying really hard to keep a dignified face.

"Aww, not all's lost," Lisa continued. She was having too much fun right now. "I bet those posters they made with your name can make good fire material."

I laughed and high fived her.

"Don't listen to them, Renée, they're mental," a girl said behind Renée, since Renée herself had fallen silent and was glaring at us like she was trying really hard to think of a comeback. "They should be shipped off to St Mungo's."

"And yet," Chloe said simply, speaking for the first time, " _you_ can't be. Because I don't think there's been invented a cure to jealousy."

I think everyone's mouths dropped by that point. I gapped at Chloe. She never participated in any sort of argument. Renée glared coldly at her, and I was surprised to see that Chloe just stared back without even flinching, her usually bright honey eyes dark with cold fury and her hands shaking in her lap.

"Why would I be jealous of _her_?" Renée asked dangerously after a tense silence.

"Oh, I don't know," Chloe scoffed. "Maybe because Sofia will be the Champion while you'll be in the background, _cheering_ for her."

"I'm not cheering for her," Renée snapped. "The Goblet _clearly_ made a mistake, and I'm going to sort it out with Madame Maxime."

"It didn't make mistakes." Chloe replied instantly. "The Goblet's magic chooses the best candidate. Everyone knows that."

Renée's face was becoming more and more furious. But then I heard the sound of steps approaching behind me and Renée looked up and smirked like a secret weapon had arrived.

I turned around and my heart sank when I saw Maxime right behind me. She probably had heard the whole conversation… Renée was her favourite…

Oh, no.

"Sofia, _viens_ ," Maxime with uncommon kindness as she set a hand on my shoulder, ignoring Renée completely. "We'll begin our training now."

That settled it. I swapped a surprised smile with Chloe and saw Lisa stiffen a laugh. Then I followed Maxime out of the room, not before turning my head and winking at a completely shocked Renée.

* * *

_Bang!_

"So… I'm supposed to fight it?"

" _Bien sur_ ," Maxime said.

We were at Maxime's office in the chariot that had taken us to Hogwarts, which had been magically expanded so that the inside replicated certain spaces of the Beauxbatons Academy. The room was beautiful and ample, and the most impressive fact wasn't the snow white walls adorned with golden leafs, or the beautiful paintings of nymphs in the walls, or the striking resemblance to Versailles.

Oh no - the most impressive fact was that a wardrobe had been placed in the middle of the room.

_Bang!_

And this wardrobe, mind you, was shaking violently since there was a monster trapped inside it, screeching and trying to claw its way out.

"You heard the Minister," Maxime said, unwavering. "The first trial will test your bravery, which means that you need to control your fears."

_Bang, bang, BANG!_

"Right," I said slowly as I took a cautious step back.

Maxime gave a loud _tut_ with her tongue.

"Sofia, you will be representing the school. The honour of Beauxbatons lies entirely on your shoulders. I cannot have you cowering like a mouse."

"I'm not a mouse," I squeaked.

"Would you like to know what is inside the wardrobe, then?"

"Not really," I replied, but clearly it was a rhetorical question because Maxime lifted her wand and there was a _click_ as the door unlocked and the banging stopped.

The door creaked slowly. There was a deafening moment of silence; and suddenly, a wave of fire exploded from the inside.

A paw came out of the wardrobe with furious, gnashing claws. Another paw, threateningly large. And then, the door opened to reveal the head of the beast.

"Oh, Merlin," I whined frantically as I fell backwards on the floor. Before I knew it, was walking back like a crab in all fours, slipping on my own robes on the ground as I pulled back. Somehow I'd lost my wand. "Oh, Merlin, Merlin, _Merlin_!"

It was a dragon.

An enormous dragon with horns and spikes covering his entire skin. Bloodred, cruel eyes stared at me with anger, his nostrils flared with smoke, baring its teeth like fangs…

And as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. I looked at Maxime and whimpered as she lowered her wand and closed the wardrobe.

"You have a _dragon_ inside a wardrobe? Are you _insane_?"

Except that I never said that, because I simply had no voice.

And no dignity, but let's not get into that.

"That was pathetic," Maxime said with a distasteful curl of the lip. "This wasn't a real dragon, of course - it was only a Boggart. It is only an image of your deepest fears."

"Right. So… the flames aren't real?"

"Ah, _non_ , they are very real," she said dismissively. " _Again._ "

Fifteen tries and three hours later, I left the office with my spirits down in the mud. At lunch, I avoided the subject of my training completely. Lisa and Chloe didn't need to know about how my ears were ringing from the constant lectures or how Maxime had the firm impression that I was going to die.

* * *

After afternoon classes were over and a clear grey stained the evening sky, I realized that I wanted to be alone. I let myself roam aimlessly through the gardens until I came across the Quidditch pitch. It was completely deserted, the wind blowing softly through hundreds and hundreds of empty seats. I climbed the steps all the way to the highest seats and sat down, and then I looked over the three loopholes and into the horizon.

To the left, I had a clear view to the dense, green forest and the greenhouses. To the right, the castle looked as beautiful as the palace of Beauxbatons. They were different, but it was impossible to remain indifferent to the castle's dark beauty, surrounded by a lake that reflected the pale grey from the sky and gave Hogwarts a mysterious aura.

I don't know how much time I spent there admiring it, but night had fallen when a silhouette crossed the field and climbed the steps to me. I felt a small twinge of guilt, thinking it might be Chloe or Lisa and I had ignored them, but it didn't look like a girl.

"Hey."

Albus Potter was looking at me with a small smile, washed white in the moonlight. He was wearing the dark robes of Hogwarts, and his dark hair and green scarf were being whipped backwards with the wind.

"Hi."

"May I?"

"Sure," I said, and he sat down next to me.

We exchanged an awkward smile and looked back to the pitch.

"So… what're you doing here?"

"I got lost," I said simply.

"Right."

He looked down and I'm pretty sure he was trying hard not to laugh.

"Shame Quidditch's cancelled during the Tournament," I said.

"You play?"

"No, but I like to watch. You?"

"Seeker," he said. "Only made the team last year, though."

"And were you any good?" I asked with a teasing smile.

He blushed and looked down. "I… think so, yeah. Caught the Snitch in every game."

For a split of a second I doubted him. I'm not proud, but he didn't look like the confident Seeker type. He kind of looked shy and awkward.

"Why did you only join last year then?"

He ran a hand through his untidy black hair and frowned.

"I dunno, I didn't like flying much when I was younger. My brother- he was a _really_ good seeker, and I- it kind of got me scared. The way he flies, you had to see him, he's a natural. But then I practiced a lot in the summer… my mother plays for the _Harpies_ and she helped me." His striking green eyes flashed and he grinned broadly. "My brother was _really_ upset when he heard that Slytherin won the Quidditch Cup last year."

"Well, being a good flyer might be a pretty good advantage in the Tournament," I said.

"Thanks," he said awkwardly.

He looked down and I looked back at the empty pitch, imagining the players zooming in their brooms, racing each other as they passed the Quaffle, shooting at the goalposts… a blur of green and silver and Albus catching the snitch in the air, the crowd cheering as he raised the Cup in his arms.

"You look tired," he said softy.

I opened my mouth but then closed it again. I couldn't _possibly_ tell him about my incredibly morbid morning, he was my rival.

"Something wrong?" He asked again.

I opened my mouth again. No, I really shouldn't-

And then I was telling him everything about my day. So much for keeping secrets between rival Champions.

"-so she made me fight a Boggart, that was actually a dragon, because my stupid brother told me that it was the first task in the last Tournament and I probably got scared," I said breathlessly. "And she even _laughed_ at me when I got scared. _What's the problem, Sofia_?! - Oh, I don't know! That thing freaking breathes _FIRE_! _Maybe_ that's a problem?"

When I finished, I was panting and Albus was staring at me. For a second, I really thought he was going to laugh at me. But then he didn't.

"The first day's always the hardest." I didn't believe that for a second. "If it makes you feel better, my training session wasn't that great either." He pulled the sleeve from one of his arms and I saw that the skin was bruised in purple and red in scratches. "My cousin's idea of helping is making me fight her in duels. So… yeah."

"Again - your cousin sounds lovely," I said. "Paralysing you in a bathroom and then nearly murdering you-"

"Oh, she was being light," Albus said. "If she wanted to kill me, trust me, she'd have."

"How charming."

He chuckled. "No, I mean- Rose is a wonderful witch, everyone keeps saying that, 'the brightest of her age'... I really thought she'd be chosen to be the Champion." He was distracted when I shuddered with the cold. "Come _on,_ it's not that cold."

"Have you ever been to South Europe?" I spat back. "I really don't know how you manage with this freezing weather."

Albus chuckled softly and retrieved a small glass jar from his bag. I watched him in wonder as he took out his wand and tapped it lightly. A blue flame appeared inside and he handed it to me.

I took the jar in my hands and felt it warming my hands, sending chills through my entire body.

"Thanks", I said.

Albus nodded. His smile was gone and I knew at once that he was thinking about the Tournament again. He fidgeted his fingers in his lap and stared at the horizon. A cold mist was setting far from us.

"Are we going to die?" he asked at last.

I'd rather think he didn't fully mean it.

"I really hope not," I confessed. "I don't want to go before I visit Hogsmeade."

Albus looked back at me and chuckled. "What?"

I shrugged. "They say they make really good candy down there. And there isn't a Hogsmeade weekend until then."

He shook his head.

"So... your problem about the trial is that you may die before you eat candy?"

"And?" I asked seriously, and he laughed again. "Aren't Honeydukes candy supposedly the best in the world?"

"Well, believe it or not, I didn't use to like it there."

"No!" I gapped in fake shock. " _Why_?"

He blushed.

"I don't know. I just thought- I don't know. I didn't think that I had friends to share the trip with."

"Then you can take me with you next time," I said simply with a shrug.

The words seemed awkward as soon as they left my mouth. He seemed startled. I blushed.

"I mean-"

"No," he said with a laugh. "It's fine. I'm sure there's no rule against Champions being friends."

"It's a deal, then," I said, feeling warmer. I stretched my hand. "Let's get stuffed in candy together."

"And try to not die till then," Albus said, shaking my hand, but this time his smile was genuine.


End file.
